Mail-box.



No. 718,190. PA'TBNTBD JAN. 13, 190-3.

A. M. BURNHAM.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1902.

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PATENTED JAN. 1a, 1903.

A. M; BURNHAM MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION mun APR. 22, 1903.

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H0 MODEL.

||| l-ll WITNESSES flMJIJ INVENTOR 1145 "aims mans 6b PHOTGLITHQ, WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR M. BURNHAM, OF GARDINER, MAINE, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ELEVEN-SIXTEENTHS TO MRS. LUTE B. LIBBY, OF GARDINER, MAINE, AND WILLIAM G. CRAWFORD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. I

MAIL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 718,190, dated January 13, 1903. Application filetl April 22, 1902. Serial No- 104,170. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: central flanged opening 8 to receive stud 3 Be it known that I, ARTHUR M. BURNHAM, and flanged around its lower edge to inclose a resident of Gardiner, in the county of Kenplate 2 and revolve around the same, and a nebec and State of Maine, have invented cerstrong arm 8 is secured by a set-screw on the tain new and useful Improvements in Mailupper end of stud 3 in pocket 7, and against Boxes; and I do hereby declarethe following which shoulders 9 in the pocket strike and to be a full, clear, and exact description of the limit the turning of thebox. invention, such as will enable others skilled In a socket 10 in the base of pocket 7 a pin in the art to which it appertains to make and 11 is located and is contracted at its lower to use the same. end "and is adapted to project through the My invention relates to an improvement in pocket and into either of the holes 4; in plate mail-boxes, and more particularly to private 2 when the cover-6 is closed, as will now be mail-boxesv for rural delivery, the object of explained. A coiled spring 12 is located in the invention beingto so construct and mount socket 10 to normally raise the pinll out of 15 a box of this character that it will be pivotengagement with plate 2, while a bell-crank ally or rotatively mounted and which will lock lever 13, preferably of spring-wire, fulcrumed but in one position, thereby dispensing with between its ends on a pin 14, secured in a rethe necessity for a signal, as the position of cess in receptacle 5, is connected at one end the box will indicate the presence or absence to the pin and at its other or long end projects 20 of mail-matter. upward and rearward to be moved by the With this object in view the invention concover when closed, and thereby force pin 11 sists in certain novel features of construction into one of the holes 4. and combinations and arrangements of parts, In the cover, at its rear, ametal strip 14: is V as will be more fully hereinafter described, secured and is adapted to close the space be- 2 5 and pointed out in'the claims. a tween the receptacle and cover when the lat- In the accompanying drawings, Figure l'is ter is opened, and it is this strip 14 which a top view,partlyin section, showing the cover first engages the long end of spring-lever 13 raised and in position to prevent the locking during the first part of the closing movement of the cover when closed. 7 Fig. 2 is a view in ofthe cover andlocks the boxagainst rotative 3o horizontal section, showing the cover locked. movement When the cover is closed. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a In the front portion of receptacle 5 a lockfront elevation with the cover partly broken casing 15 is provided and contains a catch 16, away, and Figs. 5 and 6 are views of details of of a general bell-crank shape, the upright construction. member of which is made with a tooth to en- 35 1 represents apost or standard to support gage a similar tooth on the end of a bolt 17, my improved box and hassecured onits upsecured in the cover, and lock the bolt'in the per end by means of screws a plate 2. (Shown casing. The shorter or horizontal member 18 in detail in Fig. 6.) This plate is provided of the lever is engaged bya flat spring 19, secentrally with a vertical stud 3, andnear its cured atits upper end in'the casing and bowed 4o edge holes or sockets 4 are located a distance at its lower end, Where it engages the free end 0 apart about equal to one-fourth of the circumof member 18, and is adapted to hold the catch fcrence of the plate for a purpose which will in either its looking or unlocking position unhereinafter appear. 7 til overcome by the stronger spring 22, as will The mail-receptacle 5 is preferably of a now be set forth. 45 general rectangular shape and has a cover 6 The catch 16 is secured on a shaft 21, sup- 5 hinged thereon, whichlatter is of a semicyported in suitable bearings and. projecting lindrical shape, flared outward throughout its across the pocket 7, and has the strong coiled entire lower edge. spring 22 thereon secured at one end to the The receptacle 5 is provided centrally with shaft and having its other end free and ex- 50 a circular depression or pocket 7, having a tending away from the shaft and slightly Ico downward, so as to ride under arm 8 when the box is turned in one direction and compel the spring to act, and which when the box is turned in the opposite direction will be free to turn with the shaft and exert no springpressure thereon.

A suitable key is of course provided to open the box when locked, and shoulders 23 are secured in the cover to support the weight thereof when closed.

A plate 24 is provided to close pocket 7 and the working parts therein and is preferably connected to stud 3 by a screw, as shown.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: When no mail is in the box, it will be turned to a position at right angles to the road and be held in such position by the pin 11, projecting into a hole or socket 1 in plate 2, and the box will be unlocked, as spring 22 cannot act to hold the catch 16 in its locking position. When mail is placed in the box, the latter given a quarter-turn and closed, moving the free end of spring 22 beneath arm 8, the spring will exerta strong pressure on catch 16 to hold it in engagement with bolt 17 and secure the cover in its closed position until unlocked by a suitable key, as above explained. It will thus be seen that with this improved box no signal is required, as the position of the box will indicate the presence or absence of mail.

A great many slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts without departing from my invention, and hence I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail-box, the combination with a movable receptacle and a closure therefor, of a lock for said closure and mechanism in the box only operative when the box is in one position to compel the operation of the locking mechanism.

2. In a mail-box, the combination with a receptacle mounted to turn and a closure for said receptacle, of a catch in said receptacle to engage a bolt on the closure, and mechanism in the recptacle in operation only when the box is moved to one position, and adapted to hold the catch in its locking position.

3. In a mail-box, the combination with a vertical stud and a mail-receptacle pivoted thereon and into which the stud projects, of an arm on the stud in the box, stops in the box to strike the arm and limit the turning of the box and locking mechanism for said box.

4. In a mail-box, the combination with a vertical stud and a mail-receptacle pivoted thereon and into which the stud projects, of an arm secured on the stud and located in the box, stops in the box to engage the arm and limit the turning of the box, a closure for said receptacle, a catch to lock the closure, and a spring to operate said catch when the box is moved to a position to project the spring beneath the arm.

5. In a mail-box, the combination with a mail-receptacle, a stud projecting into said receptacle on which it turns, a cover for said receptacle and a bolt on said cover, of an arm secured on the stud in the receptacle, a catch in the receptacle, a spring to hold the catch in either its locked or unlocked position and another spring to overcome said first-mentioned spring and hold the catch in its locked position when the box is turned to project one end of said last-mentioned spring beneath the arm.

6. In a mail-box, the combination with a receptacle for mail, a stud pivotally supporting the receptacle and projecting thereinto, a cover for the receptacle and a bolt thereon, of a shaft in the receptacle, a catch secured on the shaft and adapted to lock the bolt, a fiat spring engaging the catch to hold it in either its locked or unlocked position, a coiled spring on the shaft having one end secured thereto and the other free and projecting away from the shaft and said spring only operative to hold the catch in its locking position when the box is moved to project the free end of said spring beneath the arm.

7. In a mail-box, the combination with a support and a plate thereon, of a stud on said plate, a mail-receptacle mounted to swing on the stud, a spring-elevated pin in the receptacle, and a spring-lever operated by the cover when the latter is closed, to force the pin into holes in the plate and secure the box against rotation.

8. In a mail-box, the combination with a pivotal support, of a pin to lock the box in either of two positions, and mechanism operated by the cover in closing to force this pin to its locking position.

9. The combination of a mail-box pivotally supported to turn in a horizontal plane and constitute in itself a signal according to the position which it is made to assume, a lock and devices cooperating with the box and said lock to cause the latter to lock the box only when said box is in position to indicate that it contains mail and to prevent the locking of the box when it is in position to indicate that the box is empty.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR M. BURNHAM.

Witnesses:

S. W. FOSTER, R. S. FERGUSON. 

